Device, robot system, and method for determining position of recessed portion to be formed by scraping

1 . A device configured to determine positions of a plurality of recesses to be formed on a surface of a workpiece by a scraping process in which a robot scrapes the surface with a scraper in order to flatten the surface, the device comprising:

an input receiving section configured to receive input of shape information of the surface and pattern information determining a positional relationship between the respective recesses to be arranged on the surface, through an input device to which the shape information and pattern information are input by an operator,

the input device including at least one of a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel;

and a position determination section configured to automatically determine the position of each of the plurality of recesses on the surface, based on the shape information and the pattern information received by the input receiving section,

wherein the robot is controlled to execute the scraping process based on the positions of the plurality of recesses determined by the position determination section.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the pattern information further includes a position cancel condition for defining whether to cancel the position which has been determined by the position determination section when a part of a virtual occupied region of the recess, the position of which has been determined by the position determination section, protrudes outward from an end edge of the surface.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the pattern information further includes offset information for setting an offset distance of the recess with respect to an end edge of the surface, and wherein the position determination section determines the position such that the recess is displaced from the end edge by the offset distance.

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the pattern information further includes:

machining region setting information for setting, on the surface, a machining region where the scraping process is to be executed; or

non-machining region setting information for setting, on the surface, a non-machining region where the scraping process is not to be executed,

wherein the position determination section is configured to:

determine the position within the machining region; or

determine the position so as to avoid the non-machining region.

5 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the input receiving section further receives input of a machining condition for causing the robot to execute the scraping process, and wherein the device further comprises a path generation section configured to, based on the machining condition received by the input receiving section and the position of one recess determined by the position determination section, automatically generate a movement path of the robot when forming the one recess.

6 . The device of claim 5 , wherein the machining condition includes:

dimensional information of the recess; and

trajectory control information for specifying an angle, by which the robot moves and contacts the scraper with the surface in the scraping process, and

wherein the path generation section automatically calculates teaching points which define the movement path, based on the dimensional information and the trajectory control information.

7 . A robot system, comprising:

a robot configured to move a scraper;

the device of claim 1 ; and

a robot controller configured to control an operation of the robot to execute the scraping process, based on the position determined by the position determination section.

8 . A device configured to determine positions of a plurality of recesses to be formed on a surface of a workpiece by a scraping process in which a robot scrapes the surface with a scraper in order to flatten the surface, the device comprising:

an input receiving section configured to receive input of shape information of the surface and pattern information of the plurality of recesses on the surface, the pattern information including:

design information for specifying a type of design for arranging the plurality of recesses to align in a lattice pattern in a row direction and a column direction which are defined on the surface;

and

a position determination section configured to automatically determine the position of each of the plurality of recesses on the surface, based on the shape information and the pattern information received by the input receiving section,

wherein the robot is controlled to execute the scraping process based on the positions of the plurality of recesses determined by the position determination section.

9 . The device of claim 8 , wherein the pattern information further includes angle information for setting an angle of the row direction or the column direction with respect to a reference direction defined for the surface.

10 . The device of claim 8 , wherein the pattern information includes pitch information for setting a pitch between two of the plurality of recesses adjacent to each other in the row direction of the column direction.

11 . A method of determining positions of a plurality of recesses to be formed on a surface of a workpiece by a scraping process in which a robot scrapes the surface with a scraper in order to flatten the surface, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, input of shape information of the surface and pattern information determining a positional relationship between the respective recesses to be arranged on the surface, through an input device to which the shape information and pattern information are input by an operator,

the input device including at least one of a keyboard, a mouse and a touch panel;

and automatically determining, by the processor, the position of each of the plurality of recesses on the surface, based on the received shape information and the pattern information,

wherein the robot is controlled to execute the scraping process based on the determined positions of the plurality of recesses.

12 . A method of determining positions of a plurality of recesses to be formed on a surface of a workpiece by a scraping process in which a robot scrapes the surface with a scraper in order to flatten the surface, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, input of shape information of the surface and pattern information of the plurality of recesses on the surface, the pattern information including design information for specifying a type of design for arranging the plurality of recesses to align in a lattice pattern in a row direction and a column direction which are defined on the surface; and

automatically determining, by the processor, the position of each of the plurality of recesses on the surface, based on the received shape information and the pattern information,

wherein the robot is controlled to execute the scraping process based on the determined positions of the plurality of recesses.